n. [ Perhaps fr. f. cohorte a company or band. ] Partnership; league; as, to go in cahoot (or in cahoots) with a person. Usually used in the plural, and in modern usage often used to imply that the joint effort is unethical, shady, questionable, or illegal; as, a shill in cahoots with a pickpocket, to serve as a distraction. [ Slang, southwestern U. S. ] Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]